Family Affairs
by MunchkinLovesYou
Summary: When Sharon receives a phone call from her family saying that she must return home, she and Rusty quickly pack up and make their way to the Raydor Estate in New York. But while there, dangers arise. Implied Raydor/Flynn **NOW COMPLETE**
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: Okay, guys. This is so lame. Two quick notes-**

1) This takes place a few months after the events in my other story, 'Knock Knock'. I suppose you don't have to read that one first, but it may be helpful for the following chapters. Not necessarily.  
2) A lot of the characters are mine, and most of them don't speak english. Hence, Italicised means they are speaking in another language. Unless it's an announcement. Like on a plane...

**That's it. Enjoy!**

* * *

Rusty watched out the window and shivered as the green gradually turned into white. He pulled his sweatshirt tighter around himself. Looking to his right, he saw his foster mother was fast asleep, leaving him trapped in the small airplane seat. He didn't dare wake her up; she had lost enough sleep this past week.

When Sharon had received a call from her mother saying that her brother had taken ill and it didn't look good, she hadn't known what to do. Initially, she had arranged for Rusty to stay at Andy's house. With the weeks and months following her collapse, they had become very close, and Rusty was beginning to see him as a father figure. But Rusty had said no, for obvious reasons. Well, obvious to him. While most people thought of Sharon as rock hard and steady, Rusty saw her how she really was; fragile and scarred. She had gone straight to bed after the phone call, and Rusty could hear her crying when he went to his room. (It wasn't like the walls were that thick). So, he told her he was coming.

Thinking back on it now, he wondered why Sharon hadn't asked Andy to go with. He thought they were, well, what were they? Certainly not enemies, but probably not lovers- were they? He didn't really feel like thinking about that right now. All he wanted to know was how long until they would land in New York.

_Ladies and gentleman, this is your pilot speaking. We are experiencing some malfunctions in the fuel tank. Please remain calm; we are just going to take a quick stop in Chicago._

"Fantastic" Rusty said under his breath. Sharon shifted in her sleep, her head falling on his shoulder and her hair in his face. "Even better". He muttered.

* * *

An hour after they were supposed to re-take off from Chicago, Sharon woke up. Realizing that she was on Rusty, she quickly sat up, knocking her glasses onto the floor.

"Oh, for Christ's sake!" Gasping, she quickly covered her mouth and apologized.

Rusty gave her a puzzled look, "What?"

"I lost my glasses." She said as she knelt down to find them. Putting one knee down, she balanced, looking under the chairs. She put the other knee down and heard a crunch. _Figures_ She thought.

"What was that?" Rusty looked down.

"My eyesight" Sharon sighed, getting back in her seat.

"Can you see at all?"

"I can see enough."

"How many fingers am I holding up?" Rusty asked seriously, holding three fingers close in front of her face.

"Twelve" Sharon said sarcastically.

"Are you sure you didn't hit your head down there?" Rusty asked, still full of concern.

"Rusty, I'm fine."

"You're squinting."

"Thanks, Sherlock."

"Anytime" Rusty said, leaning back in his seat. He watched as Sharon put the broken pieces of her glasses in a bag, then in her purse. She rubbed her eyes, and then looked around.

"We aren't in New York! Where are we?" She asked, worried.

"Chicago. There was some problem with some fuel tank or whatever." Rusty answered.

"No, no… what time is it?" She asked

"Half past one."

"We're supposed to land in forty five minutes." She sighed. "I need to call daddy"

Rusty snickered. "You call your dad 'daddy'?"

"Yeah" Sharon snapped "I do."

Rusty put his hands up in mock surrender. "Alright, alright… but you better hurry. We're taking off again soon. I hope."

Sharon squinted and tried to read the numbers.

"Need help?" Rusty offered.

"No, I've got it." She said, hitting the last number. Rusty listened as she spoke to someone in Italian. Then she said 'Okay', and waited a beat, switching to Irish. Rusty stared at her with mouth agape. Sure, he wasn't surprised that the woman knew more than English. She knew everything. Slowly, he made the connection to Laura. She was speaking Italian, wasn't she? Maybe her family was Italian. But that didn't explain the Irish…

"Alright. Tell Frank I'll see him this afternoon. Bye now." Sharon ended the call. Looking over to Rusty, she chuckled. "What?" She said, smiling.

"Nothing. " He mumbled, closing his mouth. The pilot came back on the intercom.

_Ladies and gentleman, please return to your seats and buckle your seatbelts to prepare for re-take off to JFK airport._

"Finally!" Rusty said, buckling his seatbelt.

* * *

As soon as the plane landed, Sharon unbuckled her seatbelt and hurried Rusty along out of the plane, grabbing his backpack and her purse on the way. Once out of the plane, Rusty looked around lost, but Sharon grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him over to a group of people who were talking amongst themselves. She found who she was looking for, and older man in a golf cap and oversized green shirt, and hugged him. Once again, Sharon began to speak in Italian, then turned to the women next to him and spoke in Irish. She said something, then pointed to Rusty, and pronounced his name very slowly. Then she did the same in Italian. Rusty just stood there while everyone gathered around him slapping his back and shaking his hands. Sharon tried not to laugh at his expression.

Everyone began to talk at once again, and Sharon quieted them. She said something, and they all hurried outside to where their cars were. They all piled in groups into certain cars, while Sharon retrieved hers and Rusty's luggage.

"Why do you keep talking in those languages?" Rusty asked suddenly, as they got into their rental car.

"Most of my family only speaks a little English. It's easier if I just talk in their language, rather than have to explain everything." Sharon replied, pulling out of her parking space to follow the others.

"So, the man in the green, was he your dad or something?"

"Yes."

"Okay, cool. Is he Italian?"

"Yes and my mother is Irish." Sharon said calmly.

"Is that why-" Rusty stopped, suddenly realizing he was asking very personal questions.

"What?" Sharon turned to him briefly, before returning her eyes back to the road.

"Nothing. I sort of answered my own question…" Rusty mumbled.

"Alright. But I have to tell you one thing." Sharon said, smiling.

"What?" Rusty looked at her.

"You're going to have to talk a lot louder than that if you want to be heard in my family." She said, giggling.

"Yes, ma'am." Rusty saluted.

They rode the rest of the way in silence until they pulled into a long driveway. At the end of the driveway, there was a mansion complete with a large iron gate, and a butler at the door.

"Home sweet home." Sharon said, putting the car in park.

"This is your HOUSE?" Rusty yelled.

"Yeah. And this is the only time I will tell you not to yell. Geez, Rusty. I already lost my eyesight. I don't need my hearing."

"It's a miracle you got us here at all."

"It's New York. I know this place like the back of my hand."

"I'm glad."

"Alright then." Sharon said as a man opened up her car door. "Let's go!"

Rusty always knew that Sharon came from money. With the tailored Armani and fancy condo, it wasn't exactly a secret. He just didn't expect THIS much money. There were men in tuxedos with silver platters walking around, each with an earwig. Two of them took Rusty's things the minute he walked in the door, and another took his shoes, brushed them off, and then brushed _him _off before placing the shoes back on his feet. Rusty turned to Sharon after they were all done. She seemed to be looking for someone. Suddenly she spotted him.

"Charles!" she shouted over the buzz of clinking glasses and chatter. A man in a tuxedo came over and offered her his hand.

"Miss Sharon." He said, kissing her hand.

"Charles, you don't need to call me that anymore." She smiled.

"I know, Miss Sharon. But forgive me; I am used to the formality." He said kindly and turned to Rusty. "Did you have another child without telling me?"

Sharon chuckled, while Rusty stood there awkwardly. "Um, no sir. My name is Rusty Beck." He said, not sure what to do. Charles extended a hand. "Pleased to meet you, Mr. Beck. May I offer you a drink?"

"Uh, sure. Do you have Root Beer?"

"Yes sir. What size glass would you prefer?"

"Small!" Sharon interrupted over his 'Extra Large'.

"Right away." Charles stated. Turning towards Sharon, he whispered in her ear- "Are you sure you are not his mother?" Winking, he walked away.

Sharon blushed and ushered Rusty over to an L-shaped pristine white couch. Rusty was almost afraid to sit on it for fear of making it dirty. Sharon, sat down right away, and asked a waiter for a glass of chardonnay.

Charles came back and handed Rusty his root beer and a mint, before walking hurriedly over to Sharon, and whispering something her ear. Sharon froze, the color drained from her face. She looked over to the door, almost frightened and nodded to Charles, who alerted a few other men and walked to the door with them. Sharon stood up and ushered Rusty to another room in the back of the house with a pool table and some arcade games. There was a man with brown hair and green eyes already playing pool by himself. He turned around as soon as they walked in.

"Frank. I need you to watch Rusty for a while. I have something I need to take care of." she stated.

"Well hello to you too, little sister." Frank smiled.

"Frank. Seriously." Sharon huffed.

"Fine, fine." He said and she walked away. "So kid. You play pool?"

* * *

Sharon walked back out to the family room where everyone had gone silent. She looked around for her father, but couldn't find him. So she walked over to her mother.

"_Where's Daddy?" _She asked in Italian.

"_Outside figuring out who that Russian guy sent over this time. He says they saw you with that boy, and they don't welcome strangers. Where's Rusty?"_

"_In the game room with Frank."_

"_Good. Until this is figured out, he should stay out of sight or you better figure out what to do or they're gonna have your-"_

"_Mama!" _Sharon exclaimed, cutting off her mother's profanity. Raised as a good catholic girl, she didn't even realize that there were so many swear words. It wasn't until she was in college that she heard her parents swear. She still tries to hide from it whenever it happens because her parents have tempers. They won't hold back.

"_Oh, hush. Look, here comes Charles."_

Charles walked in, wiping dirt off his hands. He immediately straightened his bow tie, and walked over to Sharon and her mom, bowing his head a bit.

"Everything is alright now. We explained that Rusty was your adopted son and they apologized. Seems too easy, but I think they have a soft spot for you." He grinned.

"_Alright then. Let's go see your brother_." Sharon's mom said.


	2. Chapter 2

Frank walked next to Sharon as they quietly made their way to the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital that Bobby was at. He noticed she was playing with her hands, not sure what to do with them. This was a habit of hers when she was nervous. He wondered how many people noticed that. Certainly their Mom and Dad, Bobby, himself. Of course Jack did before he… before he passed. Did Rusty? Did Laura and Chase? How many people, _really_, knew about her? He was interrupted from his thoughts when the elevator dinged and they entered, pressing the button for level 5. Looking behind and around Sharon he saw Rusty staring at the floor. He was glad the Rusty was here for Sharon. Before leaving for the hospital, Rusty had made it very clear to him that he wanted to come, but did not want to see Bobby, and didn't want Bobby to see him. Frank understood.

He watched as Rusty looked to Sharon who was staring blankly ahead. He grabbed her hand, and held it. A simple gesture, but to Sharon that seemed to make all the difference. This was hard on everyone, but more so on Sharon. Being the youngest, she had always been babied. But Bobby had been the one who taught her everything. He showed her how to shoot a gun, set the table, and write in cursive. Little things, but important to Sharon nevertheless. It was Bobby who coached her through the gymnastics championships, and Bobby who hoisted her up on his shoulders when she won. It was Bobby who made her want to join the force after he did. It was Bobby that she went to after Jack was killed. Losing him, or even thinking about it, well he couldn't imagine what she was going through.

As they stepped out of the elevator, they rounded the corner and saw a line of people waiting outside of Bobby's room. Everyone wanted to say hello to Bobby, to spend their last moments with him as happy as possible. All three sat down next to Sharon's parents and waited for their turn.

Rusty looked over at Sharon and took in her appearance. Normally she did her hair so it was straighter, but today she left it curly and more or less unruly. She wore a flowing turquois dress and yellow flats. Without her heels and "Power suits", she was much smaller. Today she wore less makeup, and had a silver necklace wrapped twice around her wrist.

As the minutes went by, everyone headed back to their homes and Sharon's parents were the last ones to leave the room, leaving Sharon as the only one who had yet to see him. Taking a deep breath, she stood up, squeezed Rusty's hand, and went into the room.

* * *

Frank listened to the almost silent beep of Bobby's heart monitor from outside the room. He heard it get faster, and then there was no beat at all. Wiping the lone tear from his cheek, he stood up, awaiting his baby sister. Sharon exited the room and took a shuddering breath. She hugged Frank and then straightened out.

"We should tell…"

"I've got it covered. You go find Rusty." He motioned with his hand around the corner where she found Rusty and her Dad were playing chess, with her mom trying to teach Rusty Italian and Irish in one lesson. She smiled briefly, then plastered on a firm façade and walked over to them.

"I'm ready to go, Rusty. Come on." She said as evenly as she could manage."

Rusty stood up without argument, and walked over to her, taking her purse and putting on his coat. He watched as Sharon's dad gave her a look and she nodded. He put his arm around his wife and they left for Bobby's room.

They rode the elevator in silence and stayed silent until they were in the car. Rusty couldn't possibly fathom what she was going through. He didn't have any siblings, but thought it must be awfully hard to lose one. He pulled out his phone and sent a text to Andy.

_Hey Andy._

_-Hey back kid. How's Sharon?_

_Not great. Her brother just died._

Then Flynn didn't answer for a few minutes. Finally he texted back-

_-Oh._

_Yeah._

_-Here, tell her you're hungry._

_What?_

_-Tell her you're hungry._

_I don't think that's appropriate…._

_-Don't argue with me._

_Fine. Bye._

_-Seeya kid._

"Hey Sharon?" He asked cautiously.

She sighed. "Yeah Rusty?"

"Um, I'm a little hungry. Could we stop somewhere?"

He heard a sharp intake of breath, and then she responded "Sure." She turned off the main road and down a side street parallel parking by an Italian café. "This place was Bobby's favorite place to eat when I was in town."

"Is it good?" Rusty asked.

"Beyond good. The family that owns it came to America the same time that my father did."

"That's cool." Rusty said.

Once inside, they sat in a corner booth and a man around Sharon's age immediately walked over. They conversed sadly in Italian for a bit, and then he turned to Rusty. "Hello sir, what would you like?" He asked pulling out a notepad. Rusty listed what he wanted, then waited for Sharon to order before handing over his menu.

They talked and ate for a while, then headed back to Sharon's estate.

* * *

When they arrived back, there were already many cars lined up outside. Sharon pulled around back and parked on the grass beside the winery shed. They sat there in silence for a while before Rusty asked-

"Why are we parked here?"

Sharon didn't answer.

"Sharon-"

"I don't want to face them." She answered, looking down.

"What?" He asked, confused.

"They're already going to be dressed in black. They're going to try and comfort me and I haven't come to terms with it yet. I don't want to face them." She said. Rusty understood now. He looked around the back of the estate and spotted what looked like a servant's entrance. He pointed to it.

"What if we entered there, then used the butler stairs, or whatever, to get to our rooms" He asked.

"Rusty, you're a genius." They exited the car and shut the doors quietly, then walked over to the door. Rusty was about to open it when Sharon stopped him. She put a finger to her lips indicating that he should stay quiet. Then she knocked in an elaborate pattern on the door. There was a bit of rustling on the other side and the door opened, revealing Charles.

"I thought you might come through this way, Miss Sharon. Follow me, although I'm sure you know where to go." He said. They followed him down many hallways, which ended abruptly with another door, leading to nice carpeted stairs.

"Take off your shoes, and you should be fine." Charles stated, giving her a kiss on her forehead. "Are you alright?" He asked.

"I'll be fine. Thank you, Charles."

They removed their shoes and walked up the stairs, making it to their rooms unnoticed.

Sharon made sure Rusty was in his room before she entered hers. Setting her bag down, She placed her shoes in the closet, and laid down on the bed. She picked up a photo of Bobby and Jack that had been taken at her wedding reception. Bobby had smashed two pieces of cake into Jack's face before yelling in Italian- Welcome to the Family, Probie! Sharon had stopped Jack from getting Bobby back by hugging him back. Everyone was laughing, and Sharon's dad was eating from Jack's face with a spoon. Sharon's mom was high fiving Bobby, and Frank was just laughing at them. Jack and Bobby had the same evil glint in their eye as the photographer captured their best wedding photo.

Bobby had continued to call Jack "Probie", until Jack had gotten him back at his 50th birthday party, this time buying a whole separate cake for the occasion.

She traced bobby and Jack's figures, and let her face become wet with tears. Finally alone in her bedroom, she didn't have to keep walls up. Sometimes a break was good.

Rusty wasn't sure what the noise was coming from the room across the hall was, but it sounded like someone was crying. Sharon was crying. Slowly, he opened his door and peered out into the hallway, making sure nobody was there. When he was certain he was alone, he tiptoed across the hallway and knocked softly on the door. Hearing no answer he decided that maybe he should just leave it alone. He knew how important it was for Sharon to leave her walls up, but if something was really wrong….

He decided that it was now or never, and slowly pushed open the door. What he saw inside made his heart hurt. Sharon was curled in a ball with a picture frame next to her. Even from the doorway he could see her tears staining the silk bead spread. Her hair was even more unruly now that it was mixed with tears. She was barefoot, and her dress was wrinkled. She looked like a perfect mess. He quietly walked in and shut the door behind him. She looked up and quickly wiped her tears. She looked around for her glasses, but quickly remembered that she didn't have them. She crossed her arms.

"Rusty. What do you need?" She asked in a shaky voice.

"What do _you _need, Sharon?" He asked, taking a step forward.

"I-"She started, feeling her eyes start to tear again. "I don't know anymore." She said, looking down. Rusty walked over to the bed, and put the picture back on the nightstand. He pulled back the covers and gestured for Sharon to get under them. She did so. Then he tucked her in, and kissed her cheek before turning away to go back to his room. She grabbed his hand.

"Rusty…" She hesitated, fighting for the right thought. "Will you stay with me?" Her eyes pleaded with him. Rusty didn't say another word, and sat down on the bed next to her, holding his foster mother in his arms as she cried.

* * *

Sharon awoke to a knock at the bedroom door. Rubbing her eyes, she watched as Rusty slipped out of bed to open it. She looked over and gasped.

Suddenly, before her stood Andrew Flynn.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey everyone! Long time no see! Haha… **

**Sorry, I've been SO busy lately. One show opened and closed, and I have another show that just opened, and I'm auditioning for another show in a couple of weeks. Tis the life of a performer.  
What? You say. You don't spend your whole time on fanfiction? No, sorry to disappoint. I do have a sliver of a life outside of the interweb. **

**To make up for you all having to wait so long, this chapter is SUPER long. I just had a totally writing spasm tonight. I hope you all enjoy! Remember, I love you all, and I would very much enjoy that love returned in the form of reviews. I do read them all. I promise you. It's so much fun. **

**Okay, that's it y'all! Enjoy!**

* * *

Rusty knew. Somehow, he knew that Andy was going to be there. There was something about that knock. It was strong and affirmative, and Rusty just knew. He didn't stop to think how Andy got here so fast; he didn't really want to know. All he knew was that Sharon was going to be fine now. And that was good, because there was only so much crying his shirt could handle.

"Hey Red." Andy said quietly.

Sharon almost giggled. "I haven't been Red for a long time."

"Maybe my eyesight is just going then. Must be getting old."

Rusty smiled. These two were perfect together. He walked out of the room and shut the door quietly behind him. Making his way down the same stairs he came up, he wandered around the butler's quarters until he found Charles' door. He knocked on it. Nobody answered.

"Nobody is going to answer, because nobody is in there, sir." Charles stated from behind him, startling Rusty.

"You scared me! Geez man."

"How's Miss Sharon?" He asked, concerned.

"Crying. A lot. I need to go change this shirt."

Charles' face grew dim. "May I ask a favor of you sir?"

"Uh, sure." Rusty replied, not sure what was going on.

"I need you to watch Miss Sharon very closely for the next few days. Even with Andy there, it will be rough."

"What will be rough?" Rusty asked, still confused.

Charles hesitated. "Tomorrow is the anniversary of her attack and her husband's death. With Bobby's death, God rest his soul, on top of that, there is no saying how Sharon will react."

Rusty was silent. He never really thought to ask about that. He cleared his throat. "Well, um, how has Sharon been in the past on the, uh, anniversary."

"She shuts down. Won't eat, won't talk. If the nightmares return, she won't sleep. I know for a fact that Andy is leaving soon, so she'll be relatively alone in this, with everyone busy with the preparations of Bobby's, God rest his soul, funeral."

"So, I basically just have to stay with her, and make sure she is taken care of?"

"Precisely."

"Seems easy enough." Rusty concluded. "Alright. Well, I should go change my shirt. Bye Charles."

"Goodbye, Sir."

* * *

Sharon awoke again in someone's arms. But these were not the same ones as last time. The small and lean arms had been replaced by big and muscular ones. Though the crying had given her a headache, it was in hiding. Fearing its return, she stayed as quiet as she could. But nothing she did could ever get past Andy Flynn.

"Good morning Sunshine." He said.

"It's not really morning, is it?" She asked, squinting to see without her glasses.

"No, but it seemed appropriate to say."

She didn't want to move out of his embrace, but she reluctantly let go when his phone rang. Andy quickly walked over to the chair his coat was draped over and fished in the pockets for his phone. He went out in the hall to answer it. Sharon sat up and waited for him to return. She knew it was about a case. Andy had warned her that one was probably going to come up, as they had leads on it. On any other week, she would have been out the door without as much as a kiss goodbye. But this time, she was happy to hole up in this room with Rusty and Andy and never leave. The door opened and Andy returned, looking sad.

"I gotta go, Sharon. One of the Mayor's young daughters was kidnapped. I'm catching a plane out tomorrow." He said, hanging his head down.

"It's okay." She assured. "I should be there."

"And I should be at Bobby's funeral on Tuesday."

"Don't beat yourself up. Bobby won't be yelling at you anytime soon." She sniffed.

"Keep your chin up, Red."

Rusty knocked on the door and brought in a platter of finger sandwiches. He was wearing his school uniform, and Charles had tied a bow tie around his collar.

"I'm playing butler. Eat up." Rusty grinned. Andy grabbed three and ate them all before grabbing two more. Sharon reached over from the bed and grabbed one, holding it with both hands and nibbling it daintily.

"Aw, c'mon Sharon. You gotta eat more than that. Charles and I made these!" Rusty groaned, with a glint in his eye.

"I'm not hungry right now. But I will try them later. Promise." She said. She could tell Rusty didn't seem satisfied. She'd deal with it later.

Flynn walked over to his suitcase and pulled out a black suit. He hung it up before motioning to Rusty to follow him out of the room.

"So kid. How have you been?"

"Eh, this family's keeping me on my toes."

"I brought you a black suit. It's standard in this type of family to mourn over those who have passed until the head of the house says to end. The suit jacket should be fine for a while, but I brought you three shirts and two pants that all match. I think you have shoes, right?"

"I, uh, well…"

"Sure you do. Listen. Sharon's gonna be a mess for a while. I feel just awful leaving her, but she's in good hands here with you. Make sure she eats. She'll smile and assure you she's fine, but you need to see through that, ok?"

"Yes sir."

"Alright kid. Let's get changed."

Rusty watched with eyes wide as Andy went into the room, and then returned with a pile of clothing, just for him. "Set a good impression, okay?"

"Alright. You don't have to worry anymore…" Rusty stated, staring him down.

"I know, kid. I know."

* * *

Rusty and Andy stood waiting at the top of the stairs for Sharon to emerge from her room. For a few minutes Rusty debated going in himself to see if she was still alive. But then she appeared. Gone was the young and wild Sharon that he had glimpsed at earlier. There was no turquois dress, no yellow flats, and her long auburn hair was no longer tousled and free. It was now pulled into a tight French twist, and she had on a black dress with grey tights. On her feet were her black Milano's, and the locket that had been on her wrist was now around her neck, closed. Rusty wondered what was inside that locket.

Sharon walked up to them and Andy held out his arm. Sharon took it and Rusty moved in front of them to go down the steps. As soon as he reached the bottom, everyone turned to them and began speaking in unknown languages in hushed voices. Charles motioned Rusty over to stand by him, and together they watched Andy accompany Sharon down the steps. Once they had reached the bottom, Andy promptly let go of Sharon and stepped to the side, allowing her to pass. Then he clasped his hands behind his back and followed her towards the fireplace where her mother sat in a large regal chair, and where her father and brother stood in the exact same manner as Andy.

Charles gently nudged Rusty as an indication to follow her. Leaning down a bit he whispered:

"You follow Andy and do exactly what he does, nothing more."

"Yes sir" Rusty whispered back.

Following Andy, he clasped his hands behind his back just as he was. When they reached the fireplace, Andy stepped to the side and Rusty still stood behind him, but Andy grabbed his shoulder and tugged him to stand in between him and Frank. "Sorry" Rusty whispered. Andy made a "Sh" sound under his breath, and a few people looked over at them. Rusty felt his face go hot. Instead of looking at them, he turned his head to focus on what Sharon was doing.

Sharon stood about two feet away from her Father and mother, and made the sign of the cross. Then she whispered something to herself, and stepped forward, leaning in to kiss her Father's cheek, then stepping to her mother, and held her hand while her mother said something. Then she replied, nodding to her parents, and sat down in the other regal chair next to her mother, in the exact same way.

Rusty followed Andy and Frank as they lined up in front of Sharon's father. They each shook his hand, then moved to Sharon's mother and kissed her on each cheek. Andy moved behind and right of Sharon's chair, and Frank moved to stand to the right of his Father. Then it was Rustys' turn. He looked up at Sharon's father nervously, and he gave Rusty a small smile. Rusty shook his hand firmly, and then looked to Andy. Andy didn't see, and suddenly Rusty could feel all the eyes in the room on him. Sharon's father whispered in his accented voice, the word "cheek", and Rusty remembered. Looking back once more to the older man, he saw that the man wasn't necessarily smiling, but his eyes were full of a sad joy. Rusty moved to the left and kissed Sharon's mother on each cheek, then turned to stand by Sharon. Sharon's mom whispered, "You're a good boy" in his ear as he left.

Rusty stood in front of Andy, and next to Sharon. Andy put his left hand on Rusty's shoulder. The three of them almost looked like a family. Rusty wished that they were. As the people began to line up to talk to the family, Rusty relaxed a bit. Every once in a while he would look over to Sharon, who was accepting condolences. She looked rigid and definitely didn't want to be there. Rusty completely understood.

After it was all over, everyone headed to the biggest dining room table Rusty had ever seen. Everyone seemed to know where to sit. Rusty obviously didn't know, so he looked to Andy. Andy motioned that he should sit next to Sharon. Charles was helping the women into their chairs, as were many of the other men. Rusty walked a little faster up to Sharon and pulled back her seat. She looked started at first, then smiled softly and nodded at him, and sat down, as he pushed the large chair back in. Rusty sat down and went wide eyed as Sharon grabbed his hand under the table. Once everyone was seated, Sharon's father stood up and began to speak. Rusty understood some words from the little lesson he had, but not much. He did notice that Sharon squeezed his hand a little tighter whenever her father said Bobby's name. Once the speech was done, dinner was served.

* * *

After the dinner dessert was served. Rusty turned to Sharon.

"What are we having?" He asked quietly over the constant din of whispering.

"I'm not sure." She sniffed.

"Are you okay, Sharon?"

"I'm fine."

"Don't lie to me, Sharon."

"I-"But she was interrupted by Charles as he announced that dessert was on the way. Everyone moved their small plates directly in front of them, and picked up small forks. Rusty followed them. The servers brought out conolis, and Rusty observed as she looked at hers wide eyed. Everyone seemed to be looking at her carefully to see if she would eat it. Rusty couldn't be certain, but he thought that this may be one of Bobby's recipes. He was a cook, right? Rusty couldn't remember. Sharon took one bite of hers, then tapped her father hurriedly, and whispered something, receiving a nod. In a rare display of poor manners, she practically hurled her chair pack, and didn't push it back in as she ran from the room and up the stairs. Rusty heard a door slam shut as he looked to Frank with wide eyes. He watched as Andy excuse himself and hurried upstairs to her. Everyone was quiet until Sharon's mother announced something that he assumed was an explanation, and everyone relaxed a bit.

Rusty looked to Frank again, and picked up the paper that was slid across the table. Scratched on in Frank's handwriting were the words-

_These are Bobby's famous canolis. Sharon couldn't take it. Go check on her. You are a man now and must do things like this; I will make an excuse for you. Now, go!_

Frank intentionally spilled his drink then, and nodded to Rusty, who scooted out among the chaos and ran upstairs. There were too many doors, so he peered in the one that had noise behind it. Knocking softly, he opened it and observed Sharon sitting on the floor of a bathroom, with her head in her hands. Andy was sitting on a chair that was in the bathroom, just looking at her.

"Go change kid. I got this." Andy said quietly. Rusty nodded and left the room. He went back to his bedroom and put on some black pants and a green polo. _Might as well stay cleaned up._ He thought. After about forty five minutes, he headed over to Sharon's bedroom.

Peering inside, he saw that Sharon was curled in her blankets, her long hair falling everywhere. She was no longer in her black dress, and he noticed everything had been put away in her closet, neat as a pin. _So much like Sharon._ He watched her as she slept peacefully, her hand finding the locket. A ghost of a smile appeared on her face, and Rusty took it in. He wanted to remember her like this, because he knew she was going to be going through a lot. Taking a quick picture of her on his iPhone, he slipped out of the room and shut the door.


	4. Chapter 4

**NOTE: There's a tense moment between Sharon and Rusty in this chapter, so just a warning for yelling. Well, internet yelling anyway.**

**Alright, sorry for the long wait. I kind of had a huge lapse in ideas for this story, and thanks to my fabulous friend, ****DowntonMakeMeHollaHunnyBooBo o (clever, huh?), I finished off this chapter! So yay!**

**Please read and review! Because after all, reviews are candy; and Easter is coming up soon.**

* * *

"Hey, Kid. Wake up." Rusty mumbled in his sleep, turning over. "Kid!" Rusty just buried himself deeper in his pillow. "RUSTY!" Andy bellowed. Rusty reached his hand up in his sleep and smacked Andy in the face. This clearly wasn't working. Smiling to himself in a sneaky way, Andy tiptoed to the bottom of the bed and pulled the expensive mattress off the bed, causing Rusty to tumble onto the floor.

"What the heck!" Rusty said, clearly annoyed.

"Get up, get dressed, breakfast is in twenty. You really need an alarm clock." Andy said, pushing the mattress back onto the bed.

"I have an alarm! Set for 9:30." Rusty said, glancing to his clock. "It's only 7:10!"

"Welcome to the family." Andy smiled. Walking over to the closet he pulled out one of the outfits he brought for Rusty and put it on the bed, pointing to it. "Put it on." He stated.

Rusty just stared at Andy. "Well how come you're not dressed then?" Rusty said, taking note of Andy's outfit. Tan pants and a blue sweater shirt. Brown shoes, clearly not dress shoes.

"Because I'm leaving. You have an etiquette meeting with Charles in ten minutes. Don't miss it." Andy stated, walking towards the door.

"Wait!" Rusty yelled at him.

Turning around, Andy stuck a hand in one pocket, the other still on the doorknob. "What?" he said.

"What about Sharon?" Rusty could see the conflict in Andy's eyes.

"She should be fine. Talk to Charles, and you have my cell number. I gotta head back to the station now, so seeya kid."

"Bye Andy."

* * *

Once Charles finished teaching Rusty the ins and outs of being 'proper', or whatever he called it, Rusty went upstairs to get Sharon for breakfast. She wasn't down yet, and they were due in ten minutes. He knocked on the door multiple times, then resigned and just opened the door. His eyes went wide. Sharon was still asleep! This puzzled him, and also made him worried. Sharon was always awake before him, even when she was sick. He considered for a brief moment if waking her would be an invasion of privacy, but he eventually decided that he was already in her room, why not. He started to walk towards her, when he heard a commotion outside. He turned again to go see what it was, when Sharon must have woken up.

"Rusty?" She whispered.

Cringing, he realized he was caught. He couldn't leave now. "Yeah?" He asked, turning back around to look at her.

"What was that?" She asked, sitting up a bit. They both listened again, and Rusty realized that someone was yelling downstairs. He looked to Sharon for a moment, who was putting on her silk robe at the edge of the bed. Suddenly, there were several loud bangs and someone screamed. Rusty ran to Sharon frightened.

"Rusty" She said as calmly as she could manage. "Lock the door. I'll get the windows."

Rusty did as he was told, then followed Sharon into the walk-in closet. He watched as she shut the doors. She reached behind Rusty in the darkness and switched on a light. Suddenly Rusty was much closer to Sharon and they both took an instinctive step back. Rusty continued to look at Sharon, but she avoided eye contact. After a few moments she sighed.

"I knew they would come." She said simply.

"What?" Rusty said, getting nervous.

It was then that Sharon realized she couldn't hide the past from Rusty anymore. If he was going to live with her, he needed to know what happened. So she told him the story. "It started the spring that I turned nineteen…"

* * *

"_Sharon!" Bobby called frantically. "Sharon! Where are you?"_

_Sharon jumped out from behind the gate and tackled him. "Right here! Hah!"_

_Chuckling, Bobby dusted himself off, and stood up. "C'mon Sharon. We need to go." He said, looking over his shoulder. _

"_Why?" Sharon asked._

"_Well," Bobby started, but was interrupted by yelling in the front yard. "Oh crap." He muttered. Then they heard gunfire, and Sharon's scream was muffled by Bobby's hand. He pulled her into the woodshed and told her to stay there until he came back for her. Then he left._

* * *

"I waited in that shed for over six hours. Lucky for me, there was water. Bobby came back, but not before taking a golf club to the shoulder. He still has a scar"

* * *

"_Bobby!" Sharon jumped up, running out of the open door of the shed. "What happened?!" _

"_Ah, nothing. I just owe some guys a few bucks." Bobby said, taking her by the arm and bringing her inside. _

"_Listen Red, I gotta go for a couple of months. I'll stay alive, don't worry. Don't try to contact me-"_

"_But Bobby!"_

"_No! Sharon listen to me! Whatever you do, do not let people know where I am. I'm going off the radar. But I expect that when I get back here, you'll be wearing that pretty little turquois dress of yours waiting for me, okay?" He said, grabbing her chin to tilt her head up towards him._

_The next morning, he was gone._

* * *

"We continued to receive death threats for a couple of weeks before the guys gave up, I guess. They resurfaced, so to speak, a little over nine years later. Chase was four." Sharon said softly.

"Did you ever get the guys?" Rusty asked.

Sharon looked up at the ceiling, as if it held the answers. "Yeah. The man who attacked Jack and I was part of the group. I shot him, and he died. There are still three out there, and one or more of them are downstairs."

They listened to the noise for a few minutes until Sharon pushed aside some clothes and switched off the light. Grabbing Rusty's hand, she led him through a small door and into a room. She shut the door and turned on the light.

"Welcome to safe room number three." She announced.

Rusty looked around at the bottled water, canned food and small kitchen. There was another small room with a bathroom, and one large bed. There looked to be enough supplies to last for a few days.

"There was an attack like this when I was younger. Daddy had five rooms like this made, each accessible only to those who knew how to get here. That meant close family, and Charles." Sharon explained. "I don't know what's going on down there, and I don't care to. When it is safe, someone will come find us." She walked over to the corner and pulled out some blankets from a dresser. Laying them out on the floor, she made a small bed. "I'll sleep here. Hang your suit jacket up, we don't want that getting dirty."

Rusty did as he was told, and sat on the floor. The next hour was spent in silence. Rusty read from an old novel while Sharon paced, and occasionally looked through a window that was near the ceiling.

_The noise is better handled in here_, Rusty thought. _It's quieter._

As he thought this, he looked up at Sharon, who had stopped pacing. She was now standing and leaning up against a wall, with her eyes closed. She looked uncharacteristically pale.

"Sharon? Are you alright?" Rusty asked, standing up.

Sharon seemed to snap to attention. "What? Oh. Yeah, Rusty. I'm fine." She said, and closed her eyes again.

Rusty didn't think she was alright, and she looked a little sick. "Sharon, listen. Have you eaten in the last few days?" Sharon nodded.

"Remember? I ate some food last night."

"Yeah, like four bites. Sharon, you need to eat." He said, in a warning tone.

"I do eat!" She said, a little louder.

"Then eat something right now!" Rusty said, also raising his voice.

"I'm not hungry, Rusty. And you can't exactly tell me what to do when you are the child, not the adult." Sharon said, beginning to yell.

It was then that Rusty crossed a line. Little did he know how big of a line that was.

"I'm sure that Bobby wouldn't think too high of you right now. Lord only knows what that husband Jack of yours thinks of you! Or what he WOULD think." He yelled in her face. "Because he's DEAD! But you know what? Maybe that's not such a bad thing. Because we would be in a heck of a lot more trouble if he and Bobby were still alive. So far, every problem we are having is because of THEM!" He was mere inches away from her. He watched with a satisfied grin as her eyes went wide and she struggled with what to do.

"Don't you dare say that! You don't know a thing about them!" She said, nearing tears. Rusty shoved her against the cold cement wall, hard. She saw stars for a moment, and struggled to regain her balance. Then she looked him directly in the eyes. "You have no right to say that! Don't you ever, EVER say such a thing to me!" She yelled at him.

He grinned "Try me!" He yelled back. She leaned in and pushed him backwards, sending him flying backwards. He landed flat on his back in the middle of the room. Sharon watched in horror as Rusty struggled to get back up. When he finally did, he marched right up to her and slapped her. Realizing that he probably lost all love that he could have ever earned, he took several steps back, and watched as she blinked a couple of times, trying to get her vision to focus. She was even paler then when they started, and was starting to shiver. He backed up against the opposite wall, and watched her carefully stand, unbalanced. She slowly walked over to her makeshift bed in the corner and sat down, feeling her eyes burn with tears.

"Sharon, I-" Rusty started, feeling his heart crumble.

"It's okay." She whispered.

"No, it's not…" He started.

"I'll," She took a deep breath. "I'll try to eat in a couple of hours. I, I can't right now." She said, and moved some blankets aside to get comfortable on the hard floor.

"Sharon, you can have the bed." He said, looking at the small cut by her eye and swollen cheek. "Sharon, please take the bed. Please!" He pleaded.

"No, it's fine. I'm just going to rest a little bit… You should too." She said, in a barely audible whisper.

"Sharon!" He said, and walked over to her. Looking down at her, he saw that her cheeks were tear stained already.

"It's okay Rusty." She said and laid down, pulling a blanket over her head. Rusty wiped his eyes and walked across the room to the small table, and sat in one of the chairs. He quickly realized that they were not meant to sit in for longer than a meal, and moved guiltily to the bed. Removing his shoes, he leaned against the headboard and listened to Sharon cry herself to sleep. Hating himself more with each passing minute. After about a while, he gave up, and laid down to try and sleep.

He was woken an hour later by a series of knocks at the small door.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi y'all! So, just a little note…**

**In this chapter, I introduce Dr. Megan Hunt (body of proof). Now I realize how stupid it sounds that two different characters from two different TV shows by two completely different companies could end up crossing paths and are actually lifelong best friends, but hey.**

**It's my fanfiction. **

**(Oh PS, Peter is back from the dead. Because Meter isn't possible without Peter. So shut up, folks.)**

**Reviews are very much appreciated! It gives me the drive to create another chapter! **

* * *

Rusty looked up at the door. Whoever was out there couldn't get in, because the safe door was too big and was locked. Slowly getting up, he walked over to Sharon as quietly as he could and looked down. Near her pillow, her gun was resting. Being as careful as he could, he reached over and picked up the gun. He pulled back the safety and walked, with gun pointed at the floor, to the door. Then he heard the knocks again, and someone speaking.

"Miss Sharon! Are you alright, milady? Miss Sharon! Answer me! Are you okay?" came a frantic voice.

_Charles! _Rusty quickly unlocked the door and opened it to reveal a much disheveled looking Charles. Gone were his bow tie and his suit jacket. The short hair that he had was mussed, and his white shirt had dirt on it. He, too, was carrying a gun. But by the looks of it, it was much more powerful than Sharon's handgun.

Charles rushed inside and locked the door again. Taking off his shoes, and placing his gun on the table, he inspected Rusty.

"Are you hurt sir?" He asked, pulling out a first aid kit.

"No. I'm fine. But Sharon, she-"

Charles looked at him wide eyed and ran to Sharon. Dropping to his knees, he shook her shoulder a bit. She didn't answer. Rusty was becoming panicked. Charles turned her over, but she didn't wake up. It was then that he noticed her face. Almost the entire left side was swollen, and her face was cut just below the eyebrow on the same side.

"What happened? Did the men come?" He asked, picking her still unconscious form up.

"Uh, no. We got in this fight and I, I sort of hit her." Rusty said, backing up.

Charles didn't say anything. He laid Sharon on the bed and covered her in several blankets. Turning to Rusty, he stared him down, and Rusty had never felt so scared in his life.

"You what?" Charles asked menacingly.

"I hit her." Rusty whispered.

"I didn't hear you." Charles said, taking a step closer.

"I, I hit her. We got in this fight and I-"Just then Charles grabbed Rusty by the throat and pinned him up against the wall. Rusty struggled to breathe with Charles' firm grasp.

"If you ever, EVER, so much as threaten her again I will put your life in danger. You should be scared." He said, and let Rusty go. Rusty staggered over to the table and sat down, trying to even out his breathing again. Charles walked over to Sharon who was waking up a bit.

"Charles?" She whispered. "Did you get them?" She asked.

"Yes, milady. Three out of the four are dead; one is in custody of the police. You are only safe here until they clear the estate." He said, placing a hand on her forehead. "Miss Sharon, you are burning up. Are you sick?"

"No, no I'm fine. I promise." She said, still whispering. "Where's Rusty? I want to see Rusty."

Charles looked over his shoulder at Rusty and nodded, giving him a glare before taking the seat that Rusty had previously occupied.

"I'm right here, Sharon." He said quietly, afraid to do something that would harm her.

She held out her hand, and Rusty cautiously took it, as if she might break at a simple touch. "Did they hurt you?" She asked, inspecting him.

"No, but I-"she silenced him and continued to fix his hair until he was sure he looked okay. "Sharon, I hurt you. Really bad, and I, I can't live with knowing that I did that to you. You didn't deserve it at all and I think it may be best if I went back to Los Angeles. Andy could watch me, and it would be-" He stopped, looking down at Sharon, who was sitting up. She patted the space next to her, and Rusty sat down.

Resting the uninjured side of her head on his shoulder, she closed her eyes. "Please don't go, Rusty. Please." She said. Rusty fiddled with the end of the blanket that was wrapped around her. He tentatively wrapped his own arm around her, and she didn't pull back. He heard a knock on the door, and Charles got up to answer it. Sensing that Sharon didn't want to move from the bed, he gently laid her down again, and tucked her in. Judging by what he heard, it would be a while until they could leave. So he let her sleep some more.

* * *

By the time the house had been cleared, the safe room was a flurry of guests. Everyone was coming in to check on Sharon and Rusty, and the room wasn't big enough to hold more than eight people at a time. When they got the all clear sign, Rusty and Sharon followed Charles out into the front hall to have Sharon checked by paramedics. On her way to the van, Sharon heard a familiar voice call her name.

"Sharon!"

Sharon turned around to see another bright auburn haired woman running towards her. She had on five inch heels, but surprisingly didn't trip on the gravel. She had on sunglasses and a black dress, with a red trench coat and a big purse in her left hand.

"Megan!" Sharon gasped. Her childhood friend, Dr. Megan Hunt was always finding a way to show up wherever Sharon was. Megan was a Medical Examiner in Philadelphia, and was very close with Sharon and her family. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I actually came to attend Bobby's funeral, but I have me some nice dead bodies to take care of." She joked. "How are you doing?" She asked, inspecting Sharon's face.

"I've had better days." Sharon sighed, walking with Megan to the ambulance. "So how's Lacey?"

"She wanted to come see 'Aunt Sharon' again. She's flying in on Monday with Mother and Peter."

"Peter? As in adorable assistant Peter?"

"Sure. Whatever you want to say. We live together so-"

"Oh, you're not serious!"

"What makes it so hard to believe that I can get a man?" Megan pouted.

"It's not hooking the fish; it's keeping it on the line."

Megan stuck out her tongue, and Sharon chuckled. Rusty walked over.

"Rusty! I'd like you to meet my childhood best friend, Dr. Megan Hunt, Medical Examiner." Sharon said, smiling. Megan stuck out her hand, and Rusty tentatively took it.

"Hey Rusty." Megan said. "Well, it's been nice meeting you, Rusty, and Sharon. Shopping on Monday with Lace?"

"Sure thing."

"Bye now!" Megan said, and practically pranced away.

* * *

The rest of Saturday was spent tidying up the house, and preparing for the arrival of the funeral guests on Monday and Tuesday. Charles softened up a bit again to Rusty once Sharon told him that she was fine, for the hundredth time.

The weekend flew by and before the people at the Raydor Estate were ready, the people attending Bobby's funeral arrived. Now, Bobby was a very popular man, so naturally a lot of people showed up. In fact, over two hundred came, with more staying in hotels. The Estate was only had enough bedrooms for about one hundred and fifteen extra people, so many had to sleep in the butler's quarters, and safe rooms. By Monday night, guests were chatting all over the house, even at 11:30 pm.

Rusty observed the crowded dining room from his space perched on a high windowsill. He had discovered the place while trying to reach Sharon's bracelet, which she had dropped on her way down the stairs. He found that if her climbed over the stair railing, and moved against the wall, he could hook his foot and swing over. The windowsill was very thick, as the actual window was back far in the wall. There was a metal bar to ensure his safety.

Looking to his left, he watched as Lacey, Megan's daughter, talked about their day shopping with Sharon. Sharon's parents, being the hosts, were mingling around, thanking guests for coming, arm in arm. Charles had a silver platter with wine glasses, and was walking around, taking empty glasses and replacing them. Suddenly, though unnoticed by everyone else, he heard something fall and someone swore. Scanning the crowd, he saw that Megan had dropped her phone, and Peter was picking it up. After setting it on the dining room table, he began to rub Megan's hands. What was that about? Rusty wished he had actually paid attention when introductions were made.

"Rusty!" Someone called from below him. "Get down from there! Sharon's gonna kill you!" Frank called up to him.

"Relax. It's not even dangerous!" Rusty retorted.

"Well unless you want to end up falling and end up on one of Megan's autopsy tables, I suggest you get your lazy butt down!" Frank said, smirking.

"Fine…" Rusty said, and swung his leg around to the stair railing, and climbed over, walking down the steps just as Sharon rounded the stair corner.

"Rusty! There you are! I've been looking for you. Time for us to get to bed. Megan and Peter and Lacey are too."

"What about Joan?" Rusty spoke of Megan's mother.

"She's going to be up later than anyone. Come on, now. Tomorrow is the funeral. We need rest." She said, taking his arm. "Let's go"

Looking one last time at all the guests, Rusty thought he saw someone familiar, no, two people. But Sharon was leading him up the stairs, so he decided to let it go.


	6. Chapter 6

**A note:**

**Sorry for the long update wait. A family member just died, so I've been a little busy. The service is modeled after the humble little one that we attended, so if you don't like it, so be it. Of course, I've added some things to make it more "In character", because although I am part catholic, I don't really go to Catholic funerals. (So this one is dumbed down a little).**

**Another note:**

**This chapter may contain triggers to traumatic events. Consider this chapter M+ for safety. It's really not all that bad, but it could be. Just a warning.**

**That's it! Enjoy!**

* * *

Rusty followed Sharon into the limo that would take them to the funeral. He had woken up via alarm clock two hours before everyone else, took a shower, and dressed in the special outfit Andy had packed. By 8:00am, Rusty was knocking on Sharon's door to wake her up. They ate breakfast quietly with Charles, rather than the entire family. When it was time to leave, Rusty helped Sharon put on her coat and grabbed her bag. They walked out the door, and his jaw dropped. Outside the estate on the gravel and cobblestone were at least thirty limos waiting to pick up the family. He had followed Sharon into the second limo, with the Megan, Lacey, and Peter behind them.

Now, sitting in the car, Sharon announced that it was an hour and a half drive to the actual chapel, because Bobby wanted his funeral in the church that held their family plots. So they all relaxed a bit in the spacious backseat. Half the seats were facing the other half, so it made for an easy way to see each other.

"So Megan and Peter. How did you two sleep?" Sharon asked, smirking. Megan gave her a glare.

"We slept rather well, thank you." Peter said, completely oblivious.

"So, when are your children coming up?" Megan asked, desperate to change the subject.

"They supposedly flew in this morning from Salt Lake City, and they're going to meet us at the funeral home. Chase is helping Father Allen prepare and lead, and Laura is the reader. I think they're-"Sharon was interrupted by the sound of an orchestral ringtone. "Megan, your mother is calling you." She said.

"Yes, yes. I know." Megan said, digging in her big purse. She pulled out her phone and was about to answer it when she dropped the phone and hissed in pain. Rusty, who had been staring blankly out the window, thought she was hurt and sat bolt upright, looking at her worried, but nobody seemed such. Because of that, he returned to the window, but watched out of the corner of his eyes what was going on.

Lacey picked up the phone and handed it to Sharon who answered it on the last ring, and answered Joan's question. Then she hung up, and leaned over to drop the phone back in Megan's purse. She and Lacey sat in silence watching Peter as he rubbed Megan's hands. Megan's eyes were closed in pain, and she was whispering something to Peter, who was nodding. Rusty made a mental note to ask Sharon or Peter later.

Soon Megan nodded to Peter and he let go, sitting normally in his seat again. Megan turned to stare out the window, and Peter put his arm around her shoulders. Lacey and Sharon started talking about going shopping again, and everyone seemed to act as if nothing had happened. Of course something had, But Rusty just didn't feel like figuring that out just yet, so he just sat back in his seat and pulled out his IPhone.

* * *

Pulling into the large chapel driveway, Rusty turned to Sharon to ask where to go, only to find that she was asleep. Gently he placed his hand on her shoulder to shake it, but at the slightest touch she flinched away. Remembering that he had hurt her, Rusty quickly pulled his hand away and told her that they were there. Sharon quickly gathered up her items and stepped out of the limo when the door was opened. Their limo and Sharon's parents' limo had left a half hour early so that they could get ready before the guests arrived.

Sharon walked up the path and was about to open the door, when it was opened by her son.

"Chase!" Sharon exclaimed and pulled him in for a hug. Chase was well built, and was much taller than his mom; So Sharon was hugging his ribs. Laura stepped out too, and cleared her throat, tapping Chase. Chase let go of Sharon.

"Mom, there are some people inside who would like to see you." He said with a glint in his eye. Sharon stared up at him, and then looked back at the Hunts and Rusty, before walking inside. She placed her coat and bag on a table outside the sanctuary, and then opened the big wooden doors. What she saw inside brought tears to her eyes. Happy tears.

The entire Major Crimes team stood in a perfectly straight line, each holding a rose. Flynn walked forward to meet Sharon in the middle of the long isle.

"You didn't have to come" She whispered as he hugged her.

"But we did." He said, and led her to the end of the isle, before stepping back into the line. Sharon walked down the line, hugging everyone; Tao, Buzz, Andy, Sanchez, Amy, even Provenza. All the men were wearing matching suits with navy blue ties, Bobby's favorite color. Amy was wearing an elegant black dress with a navy blue ribbon. They each handed Sharon a rose as she went by.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, wiping a tear and smiling.

"What? Can't a guy visit his Captain?" Provenza asked.

"I mean, don't you have a case?"

"All wrapped up, captain. You're our case now, Ma'am." Sanchez said, his hands behind his back.

They all hugged again, before walking out to the reception area and mingling with the many guests before the service.

* * *

Soon it was time to start, and everyone had made their way into the church. Sharon's parents and Sharon. Frank, his wife, Charlotte (who had flown back in from a work trip in St. Paul) and their child, Michael. Laura and Chase, Chase's fiancé, Samantha, and about twenty other people lined up for the entering of the family. The music began to play, and everyone began walking in, as people rose to their feet. Sharon walked alone, her hands clasped behind her, following her parents. When she reached the doorway of the sanctuary, Rusty appeared and took her arm, walking down the aisle with her. He brought her to her seat, as Charles had taught him, and was about to leave when Sharon grabbed his arm, indicating that he could stay. He nodded and sat down.

The service began. The priest talked about Bobby's life, his love of motors and singing, his endless love towards children, and the community, and his last few months. When it came time for communion, Rusty followed Sharon; kneeling down, and accepting the bread. He swallowed the bitter wine, and then returned to his seat; thanking all things above that Sharon had sent him to a catholic school. It saved him the embarrassment of not knowing how to take communion. He willed himself not to laugh as Provenza grumbled that he had to kneel down, only to be punched in the arm by Flynn.

When Communion was over, people were invited to share their best memories. As the sharing went on, he looked to Sharon briefly and noticed that her eyes were dry. Almost too dry, as if she could no longer cry. She was trembling though, and every story made her shake harder. Rusty didn't know what to do. He had lived with Sharon long enough to know that she could hold things in for an eternity. But if she began to tremble, something was definitely wrong. So he did what Andy would have done.

Cautiously, he sat up straighter, and carefully placed one arm around her shoulders, the other grasping her arm. Slowly, the trembling ceased, and she relaxed, leaning into him. Although Rusty felt uncomfortable like this at first, he grew more used to it. Soon the stories were over, and a song was named. Rusty was about to remove his arm to take the bulletin and find the lyrics, but thought better of it, questioning if it was smart to let go of Sharon. She didn't seem stable.

The song began to play, but nobody sang. Then someone's voice came over the speakers. Rusty couldn't see anybody with a microphone. He heard someone whisper

_It's Bobby._

Rusty understood why nobody was singing now. But as he listened, he heard one small voice. The voice was singing almost so soft that he couldn't hear it.

"_And I believe there's a place called Heaven…_

_And I believe in a place called Calvary… _

_I believe in a man his name is Jesus…_

_And I believe that he gave his life for me…"_

Rusty looked to Sharon. Her eyes were closed, and her lips were moving.

_She's singing._ He thought.

Sharon was a very talented singer, but he had only ever heard her sing twice. Once when she was getting ready on Easter morning, and once on their first Christmas night as she was getting ready for bed.

After the song, the priest looked directly at them, and nodded. Rusty looked to Sharon confused. The service was supposed to end now; that's what was printed in the bulletin, anyway. He watched Sharon pull out a small, ripped piece of paper with cursive on it from her purse. She slowly walked up to the pulpit and looked out at everyone. Then she looked down at her paper, and closed it in her hand. She began reciting.

"Do not stand at my grave and weep;  
I am not there; I do not sleep.  
I am a thousand winds that blow,  
I am the diamond glints on snow,  
I am the sun on ripened grain,  
I am the gentle autumn rain.-"

Her voice cracked and she looked down. She looked at the paper again. Then she looked out, and locked eyes with Rusty. Rusty gave a small nod, and she looked at her paper again.

"When you awaken in the morning's hush,  
I am the swift uplifting rush  
Of quiet birds in circling flight.  
I am the soft starlight at night.  
Do not stand at my grave and cry,  
I am not there; I did not die."

She finished quietly, and returned to her seat. The priest gave a nod, and four bells were rung. Then everyone stood, and the family left. The burial would be a private one. It would take place at 3:00pm. As soon as everyone was in the reception area, a dividing wall was opened, revealing many circular tables. Everyone sat down at their designated seats. Rusty was seated in between Peter and Sharon. He noted that there eight spaces at the table, but only seven were filled. Looking around, he realized that Sharon was missing. He was about to tap Peter, but he was having a conversation with Sharon's Father. He looked to his left and saw that Megan was also looking around for Sharon. Leaning over, he tapped her.

She jumped a little bit.

"Oh! Hi Rusty, what's up?" She said; a little distracted.

"Um, I was just wondering if you knew where Sharon was."

"I was wondering the same thing!" She exclaimed. "Though I have an idea where she might be. Do you want to come with?"

"Sure." Rusty said, standing up with Megan. He waited while Megan whispered something to Peter, who smiled a bit, then nodded, returning to his conversation.

Rusty walked with Megan out behind the church. They walked down a cobblestone path and ended at a strip of white brick, where the cemetery began. Looking up, Rusty could see in the distance the chairs being put out for Bobby's burial. Looking to the left, however, he could barely make out a figure sitting by a grave, under a tree. He felt Megan nudge him in the figure's direction. He looked up at her, and she nodded to him. He turned and started walking up the path, shoving his hands in his pocket.

As he got closer to the person, he realized it was Sharon, although that was to be suspected. He reached close enough to her that he was almost directly behind her, but about two yards back, still on the path. He watched as she pulled out a small bottle of something, popping the top off. She took a drink, and then poured the rest on the grass in front of the grave. Squinting, he read the marker.

_Jack Heyes_

_Beloved Husband, Father, Friend_

_May 14__th__, 1962 – May 3__rd__, 1990_

_Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal._

"It was a long time ago"

Rusty stood up straight, startled. He walked towards Sharon. She was sitting on the ground, her knees pulled up to her chest.

"That doesn't make it easier, does it?" Rusty said.

"No, it doesn't." She sighed.

"But it does get better."

"No. It never does."

"Sharon…"

"You should go."

"No, I'm staying." He said.

"Rusty. Leave." She said bitterly. Rusty did as he was told, but stayed in the graveyard. From behind a nearby tree, he watched with wide eyes as she pulled out a shiny object from her pocket and brought it to her throat.

* * *

**So this is very close to the end. (SOB!) I've had so much fun writing this, as dark as it may be. So maybe not this specific chapter, but the story in general. The story will wrap up in the next chapter or two. **

**I am open to suggestions for new stories. PM me or put them in the reviews. Thanks!**

**-L**


	7. Chapter 7

**So this is the end. It's been a nice run! If you have an idea for what could go into my new story, "Confronting the Past", PM me or leave it in the reviews of either story.**

**Thanks!**

**-L**

* * *

Rusty watched Sharon as she slept. The ability she had to sleep was unbelievable. But then again, everyone around him seemed to be able to. It was quiet on the jet, with the exception of Provenza's muffled snoring through his white hat. Sighing, he got up and began to pace slightly.

"What's up kid?" Andy whispered.

Rusty whipped around. "Oh, nothing much. Just thinking." He said, sitting down next to Andy. From this vantage point, he was sitting directly in front of Sharon, and his now empty seat. Looking out the window, he watched the bright lights of an unknown city pass by in the dark.

"What are you thinking about?" Andy asked, watching Sharon.

"What do you think?" Rusty said, also turning to watch her.

"She'll be fine."

Rusty wondered, as he watched her, if Andy really was right. Though the tears had long been gone from that awful day, the physical memories still stayed. As Sharon turned her head in her sleep, and the big white gauze bandage was visible underneath her hair.

* * *

_Rusty couldn't see exactly what Sharon was doing with small object, but as he watched her bring it to her throat, he knew exactly what it was. Everything seemed to pass in slow motion as she did so. Rusty couldn't move. He felt as though he were stuck outside his body, watching the scene from the other side of the graveyard. He turned his head as he heard the click-clacking of high heeled shoes. He half expected it to be Sharon herself, running to stop what the woman in front of him was doing. When he finally came back to reality, he saw that Megan was running up the path._

_He watched rooted in his spot as Megan yelled something, then practically dove for the knife Sharon was holding. Suddenly, in a split second, Sharon was on the ground with blood on her hands, and Megan was holding hers in pain. After a few moments, both Megan and Rusty looked to Sharon. She wasn't moving. _

* * *

Megan sat with Peter in the back of the jet.

"Why couldn't I stop it?" She said, unconsciously clenching and unclenching her hands.

"You did, Megan. Sharon's alive because you were there to stop her." Peter tried to convince her.

"No. Nothing should have happened the way it did." She sighed. "I'm so sick of this." She said, indicating to her hands.

"You can't help the paresthesia."

"But I could have helped more."

"Well the Raydors already had to bury one child. At least you stopped them from having to bury another."

Megan considered what he said, before looking up at him. "I just keep thinking of the look on Rusty's face when they took Sharon to the ambulance."

* * *

_Rusty sat on the curb, watching the ambulance disappear into the distance. A hand was placed on his shoulder, and he looked up._

"_You did fine, kid. Everything's just fine."_

_Rusty looked back down. "If it was fine, Sharon wouldn't be in the back of an ambulance."_

"_Everyone goes through rough patches."_

"_Like trying to commit suicide? I don't think everyone goes that far."_

"_Maybe not."_

_They both turned to look down the road._

"_Rusty. Don't blame yourself." _

"_I know. I've been hearing that since it happened."_

"_But I am serious. It's not your fault. Sharon has had a lot happening to her, and none of it has been good. Let's face it; everything was building up to a climax."_

_Rusty sighed. "Are you sure she'll be okay?"_

"_I'm positive."_

_Rusty listened as he walked away, before turning around. "You know, you're pretty sweet for an old guy." He called._

_Provenza just chuckled._

* * *

Sykes turned to Sanchez, who was reading a Spanish comic book.

"You read comic books?" She practically giggled.

"Only manly men can admit to reading comic books. And this was all I could find that was interesting in the pile of magazines."

"I'm surprised the Raydors don't have a library too…" Amy said, looking around the interior of the jet.

"Oh they do."

"What?"

"Kidding. How do you think the Captain is doing?" Sanchez said, closing the comic.

"I think Rusty's worse off than her. She's slept since we got on the plane."

"Spending almost two days in the hospital can do that. Taking the family jet home was the only way she could convince the doctors to let her leave."

"She's stubborn." Amy said, repeating Franks' words.

* * *

"_Do you think she'll be okay?" Amy asked, spinning her bracelet._

"_She's stubborn, that girl." Frank smiled. "She should be okay. The paramedics said Megan stopped her from cutting too deep, so that's good."_

"_Megan seemed pretty shaken up." _

"_I think everyone is. Sharon's got a lot of people leaving her. She's lucky to have such a good team to watch her." Frank said, turning when he heard Flynn and his Father approaching._

"_So they said she'll need a few stitches, and she'll have to stay at the hospital for a while. But she should be fine." Sharon's father said._

"_Hello sir; Andy." Amy said._

"_Hello, Ms. Sykes." Sharon's Father said._

"_How is Mrs. Raydor?" Sykes asked, referring to Sharon's mother._

"_Well, you saw how fast she jumped into the truck. But she'll be okay. She never was one for emotions."_

"_Neither is the Captain." Sykes replied._

"_Oh?"_

"_Like mother, like daughter. You could say."_

"_Yes, she never was quite like me."_

"_She was like her own. From mom, she got the self-control. From you, she got the temper. How we all stay sane, I don't have a clue." Frank said._

"_She was a spitfire." _

"_Stop talking like she's gone." A voice came from behind them. All turned towards it. "She's not dead." Rusty said softly._

* * *

"Don't talk about me as if I am not here." Came a voice. Andy and Rusty turned. Sharon had opened her eyes, but had not moved her head.

"Hey Red."

Silence.

"What do ya hear, Red?"

Sharon closed her eyes. "Nothing but the rain." She said quietly.

"Then grab your gun and bring in the cat." He says, leaving.

She nods, clenching her hand when she feels pain. Rusty looks at her worriedly. They hadn't spoken much since _that day._ He was about to speak when she beat him to it.

"I keep having this dream." She says, her eyes not opening. "I'm walking this street. It's the street Jack and I lived on. But it's quiet. Then I look up, and standing at the end of the street is Jack. He's just- He's right there. And I say to him, 'Jack, I thought you were dead.' He says, 'No Red. I was just on vacation."

She opens her eyes then, slowly reaching for her tea mug. Rusty hands it to her halfway, watching her. She looks down carefully before continuing.

"And I say, 'I have a boy living with me, his name is Rusty.' Then I look for you, but Jack stops me. He says, 'Oh Sweetie, you won't find Rusty.' And I say 'why?' Then he says, 'because he's with Bobby.' "

Sharon doesn't continue, but takes a sip of tea. She wipes away a tear before letting her head fall back against the headrest, as if the story has exhausted her. Rusty just stares at her for a moment, before the realization sinks in. "Sharon…" He starts.

"I'm a little tired." She says, acting like she had never revealed the dream. Rusty gets up to leave but she stops him. "Please don't go."

He sits down next to her, and she curls into his side. He thinks about all they have been through in the past days. He supposed he should be exhausted, but he isn't. "I won't Sharon." He says, letting her breathing lull him into a half sleep. He places his arm around her sleeping form, and then falls asleep.

They both sleep the rest of the way home, unaware of the angels watching over them. Making silent promises never to leave, and always to love.

~~~~~~ The End~~~~~~


End file.
